News & Views Friday, December 09, 2016

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Bluegrass legend and banjo pioneer Earl Scruggs, who helped profoundly change country music with Bill Monroe in the 1940s and later with guitarist Lester Flatt, has died. He was 88.

Scruggs’ son Gary said his father died of natural causes Wednesday morning at a Nashville, Tenn., hospital.

Earl Scruggs was an innovator who pioneered the modern banjo sound. His use of three fingers rather than the clawhammer style elevated the banjo from a part of the rhythm section – or a comedian’s prop – to a lead instrument.

His string-bending and lead runs became known worldwide as “the Scruggs picking style” and the versatility it allowed has helped popularize the banjo in almost every genre of music.
The debut of Bill Monroe and The Blue Grass Boys during a post-World War II performance on The Grand Ole Opry is thought of as the “big bang” moment for bluegrass and later 20th century country music. Later, Flatt and Scruggs t eamed as a bluegrass act after leaving Monroe from the late 1940s until breaking up in 1969 in a dispute over whether their music should experiment or stick to tradition. Flatt died in 1979.

They were best known for their 1949 recording “Foggy Mountain Breakdown,” played in the 1967 movie “Bonnie and Clyde,” and “The Ballad of Jed Clampett” from “The Beverly Hillbillies,” the popular TV series that debuted in 1962. Jerry Scoggins did the singing.

After the breakup, Scruggs used three of his sons in The Earl Scruggs Revue. The group played on bills with rock acts like Steppenwolf and James Taylor. Sometimes they played festivals before 40,000 people.

In a July 2010 interview, Scruggs said in the early days, “I played guitar as much as I did the banjo, but for everyday picking I’d go back to the banjo. It just fit what I wanted to hear better than what I could do with the guitar.”

Scruggs will always be remembered for his willingness to innovate. In “The Big Book of Bluegrass,” Scruggs discussed the breakup with Flatt and how his need to experiment drove a rift between them. Later in 1985, he and Flatt were inducted together in the Country Music Hall of Fame.

“It wasn’t a bad feeling toward each other as much as it was that I felt I was depriving myself of something,” Scruggs said. “By that, I mean that I love bluegrass music, and I still like to play it, but I do like to mix in some other music for my own personal satisfaction, because if I don’t, I can get a little bogged down and a little depressed.”

He said he enjoyed playing because “it calms me down. It makes me satisfied. Sometimes I just need to pick a few tunes.”

At an 80th birthday party for Scruggs in January 2004, country great Porter Wagoner said: “I always felt like Earl was to the five-string banjo what Babe Ruth was to baseball. He is the best there ever was, and the best there ever will be.”

In 2005, “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” was sel ected for the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry of works of unusual merit. The following year, the 1972 Nitty Gritty Dirt Band record “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” on which Scruggs was one of many famous guest performers, joined the list, too.

Scruggs had been fairly active in the 2000s, returning to a limited touring schedule after frail health in the 1990s. In 1996, Scruggs suffered a heart attack in the recovery room of a hospital shortly after hip-replacement surgery. He also was hospitalized late last year, but seemed in good health during a few appearances with his sons in 2010 and 2011.

In 2001 he released a CD, “Earl Scruggs and Friends,” his first album in a decade and an extension of The Earl Scruggs Revue. Over 12 songs, he collaborated with an impressive stable of admirers: Elton John, Dwight Yoakam, Travis Tritt, Sting, Melissa Etheridge, Vince Gill, John Fogerty, Don Henley, Johnny Cash and actor Steve Martin, a banjo player, were all featured.
Scruggs, born Jan. 6, 1924, in Flint Hill, N.C., learned to play banjo at age 4. He appeared at age 11 on a radio talent scout show. By age 15, he was playing in bluegrass bands.

“My music came up from the soil of North Carolina,” Scruggs said in 1996 when he was honored with a heritage award from his home state.

He and Flatt played together in Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys, then left to form the Foggy Mountain Boys in 1948.

Their popularity grew, and they even became a focal point of the folk music revival on college campuses in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Scruggs’ wife, Louise, was their manager and was credited with cannily guiding their career as well as boosting interest in country music.
Later, as rock ‘n’ roll threatened country music’s popularity, Flatt and Scruggs became symbols of traditional country music.

In the 1982 interview, Scruggs said “Bonnie and Clyde” and “The Beverly Hillbillies” broadened the scope of bl uegrass and country music “more than anything I can put my finger on. Both were hits in so many countries.”

Scruggs also wrote an instructional book, “Earl Scruggs and the Five String Banjo.”
In 1992, Scruggs was among 13 recipients of a National Medal of Art.

“I never in my wildest dreams thought of rewards and presentations,” he said. “I appreciate those things, especially this one.”

Louise Scruggs, his wife of 57 years, died in 2006. He is survived by two songs, Gary and Randy. Gary Scruggs says funeral arrangements are incomplete.

This collection of love song duets for weddings is arranged by Donald Sosin for high voice/low voice duets, so almost any type of vocal pairing will work. The piano accompaniment is truly an accompaniment–the melody is not doubled in the piano part–to enhance the vocal parts and add interest to the arrangements.

There are 23 songs, including “Amazing Grace,” both the Schubert and Bach/Gounod “Ave Maria”, some pop song standards such as “Longer” and “Sunrise, Sunset,” and several classical duets, including Cesar Franck’s “Panis Angelicus.” Wedding Songs for Vocal Duet is one of the few collections of this type. Whichever titles you choose, these heartfelt classics will bring an extra touch of joy to an already joyous occasion.

In 115 Tang Tungling Tongue Twisters, enjoyable and challenging tongue twisters are set to music using every letter of the alphabet. Say them! Sing them! Use them to focus your choir’s attention! These tongue twisters are effective tools to improve diction and enunciation, while offering some amusing “icebreaker” moments. Whether used as a warm-up, warm-down or focus moment, they will taunt even the most talented in town with a tang tungling time! Greg Gilpin has written the piano accompaniment with chord symbols so your choir can move up and down the scale with ease.

For more fun resources for your choir or music classroom, please contact us!

Garrison Keillor’s radio show, Prairie Home Companion, often has a “Joke Show” around April Fool’s Day, so we thought we’d chime in with a classic that many musicians already know, but may enjoy being reminded – or it may be new to them. If you’ve ever done any gigging, you’ll be able to relate!

Saint Peter was getting a little bored checking in souls at the Pearly Gates, so he thought he’d change things up a little bit for some variety as three new entrants appeared before him.

He asked the first fellow in line, “How much money did you make down on earth?”
The man replied, “About $300,000 a year.”
“Well, that’s pretty impressive, ” said Saint Peter. “What did you do to earn that?”
“I was a surgeon,” was the reply.
“So why do you think you deserve to come into heaven?” asked Saint Pete.
“Well, I admit I made a lot of money, but I saved a lot of lives in the process,” said the surgeon.
“I suppose you’re right.” said Saint Peter. “You may come in.”

The second man stepped up and Saint Peter again asked how much money he had made back down on earth.
The man said, “About $500,000 a year.”
“Wow!” exclaimed Saint Peter. “And what did you do to deserve that?”
“I was a lawyer,” he said.
“And why do you think I should let you into heaven?” asked the Saint.
“Okay – I did make a lot of money, but I helped an awful lot of people.”
“I suppose you’re right.” said Saint Peter. “You may come in.”

The third fellow now stood before Saint Peter.
“So, how much money did you make back on earth?” asked the holy man.
“Oh, about $15,000 a year.” said the man.
“And what did you do?” asked Saint Peter.
“I was a jazz musician,” he replied.
“So why do you think you deserve to get into heaven?” asked the Saint.
“Well, I admit I didn’t save people like the surgeon or help people like the lawyer, but I made a lot of people happy!” said the musician.
“I suppose you’re right.” said Saint Peter. “You may come in. But could you come in through the kitchen?”

From time to time at Stanton’s, we get calls for method books to go with instruments we rarely see. One of these is a guitar, or concert, zither. We have a method book that Carl Fischer publishes for that instrument.

People have called about, and sometimes walked in with, a funny “hybrid” instrument called a “ukelin“. It is half bowed psaltery (violin), half plucked chords (ukulele), hence “ukelin”. This is a two-fisted instrument, played purely for fun. You bow with the right hand and pluck with the left-at the same time. For more on this strange beastie, check out the link.

Did you find a 4 stringed baby banjo in the closet or attic? We bet you have found a banjo ukulele. We have books for ukuleles of any stripe. One of the best books to learn ukulele is “Jumpin’ Jim’s Tips ‘n’ Tunes” by Jim Beloff. A chord chart is in the back of the book, and there are plenty of fun songs to learn, including the most serious ukulele rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” we may have ever seen (or played). Contact us at by email or call 1-800-42-MUSIC. No matter what you bought at the flea market or found in the closet, give us a call and we will see whether we can get you a method book so you can play your newest acquisition.

Jazz Warm-Ups and Vocalises by Gary Walth is a perfect set of warm-ups for the vocal jazz ensemble that’s designed to enhance and stimulate the growth of each member’s vocal and choral ability. Thinking of the warm-up as a “mini voice lesson,” you can reinforce concepts with consistent encouragement, criticism, problem-solving and praise. This practical volume will help the conductor provide purposeful leadership and develop artistry in each individual through exercises that build styles such as Swing, Latin and Rock using solfege and scat syllables as well as tone and blend in ballad style. Each exercise includes a notated keyboard accompaniment with multiple modulations and professional recordings of a rhythm section and singers performing each drill on the enclosed CD.

Easter is drawing nigh! If you need piano music for Palm Sunday and Holy Week that will help your congregation connect with the Divine and enhance your worship services, this carefully crafted , advanced level suite arranged by Mark Hayes will be just the thing. Palms and Passion Suite includes three pieces: ”All Glory, Laud and Honor” is perfect for Palm Sunday. “Let Us Break Bread Together” brings to mind the first communion at the Passover table earlier in the evening before Jesus was arrested. “There is a Fountain” reminds us not only of the cross, but the redemptive work done there. To inquire about this book or other Easter or sacred piano books, email us at keyboard@stantons.com or contact the piano department at 1-800-224-4257, extension 3.

The author of best-selling Icebreakers and Icebreakers 2, Valerie Lippoldt Mack reflects on her career as music educator, dancer, and musician and shares valuable knowledge and experience with you in Putting the SHOW in CHOIR. Full of tips and suggestions for successful auditions, choreography, staging and lights, costumes, programming, rehearsal suggestions, budgeting, public relations and more, this resource is a must for every concert, jazz, or show choir director!

For more resources to help you put on the best performance you can, please contact us!

Are you as excited as we are to welcome the Spring today?! Even though we had a very mild winter here in Ohio, we’re still ready for consistently warm temperatures and bright sunshine streaming in the Stanton’s front windows! A great activity to keep your students engaged through the end of the school year would be to start a drum circle, or incorporate more percussion into your regular music classes. The following resources would be great for upper elementary, middle school and even beginning high school hand drummers:

Picante: Salsa Music Styles for the Classroom & BeyondExperience authentic music styles of the Afro-Spanish-Caribbean by Puerto Rican-born author & bi-lingual educator, Alejandro Jimenez. Connect with educational philosophies and cultural backgrounds of the Spanish Caribbean to understand how they influenced the music of that area. Learn how song, dance, rhythmic instruments and drama all come together to help build confidence and promote personal expression.

Originally developed and used in urban, multi-cultural settings here in the United States, the works featured in Picante are for all general music classes. Students form their own Latin Music ensembles and explore the highly rhythmic beat of the plena from Puerto Rico, the regueton which is popular among urban Latino youth, the fast two-step beat of the merengue from the Dominican Republic, the bomba from Puerto Rican folk music, and the son from Cuban dance music. These different styles influenced what we now call Salsa music.

The kid-friendly ensembles have been written for Grades 5-9 and are presented from easy to more difficult. A variety of short, easily-learned ostinato rhythm patterns are played on Latin percussion and Orff instruments and added one at a time, followed by voice parts with the Spanish and English lyrics to create easily-sung harmonies in an instant! A helpful teaching sequence, dance steps and objectives linked to the National Standards are provided for each song, and all ensemble parts are reproducible.

World Grooves: Elemental Rhythms From Around the GlobeCapture the spirit of calypso, zydeco, bossa nova, gospel, jigs, jazz and more with this unique collection of global rhythm styles by Tom Anderson. Each ensemble includes 3 to 4 rhythm parts for classroom percussion instruments, and one part is always the pulse, so even your youngest students can join in! There are also body percussion parts to help learn the rhythms before the instruments are distributed, and when there aren’t enough instruments to go around. Optional Orff instrument parts and piano are also included for additional layers of tone color!

The enclosed CD offers two recorded tracks for each groove: an instructional track and a play-along track without the percussion instruments for the flexibility of adding any number of performers. PDFs of all the parts are also included on the Enhanced CD.

All parts are 4 to 8 measures, and once they are secure, the parts can be layered in one-at-a-time, in different orders–you decide! Then add your new world groove accompaniments to different songs in these styles from your music library. Music grooves include: Calypso, South African, Hora, Gospel, Irish Jig, Zydeco, Rock and Roll, Bossa Nova, American Jazz, Irish Reel, and there is even an overall theme song called “The Beat of the World” for your students to experience. Let the spirit groove you! Suggested for grades 3-6.

The stand-out hit at Stanton’s String Orchestra Reading Session at the Ohio Music Educators Association Convention in February, this one contains all the rhythmic pizzazz of Scott Joplin, but at a level at which second year players can have success after just a few rehearsals – especially when you use Mr. Rodgers’s suggested Word Associations for selected rhythm patterns. Using “hip” phrases such as “I like to surf the net” and “My friend just tweeted me” he helps you teach the rhythms found in the piece, much like he has done with his past successes such as String Explosion, El Macho Nacho, Rumba-Bumba and Mozart and Beethoven are Haydn in my Music.

Ragtime in Our Time is playable using the notes of a one octave D major scale, with a few altered notes to lend authenticity to the ragtime harmony. Violins get Bb and C natural, Violas get Eb, Cellos get F and C natural and Basses get F and C natural as well as top line Ab. Rodger’s includes an optional, supportive piano part and lots of teaching tips to help you make the most of this delightful new work. So it is not only fun, it is educationally sound!

Frank Rodgers is a retired string teacher from the Norfolk,Virginia area and “tries out” his pieces with his former fellow string teachers, so you can rest assured that they are all student tested and teacher approved. Plus with his quirky sense of humor, you know that the students and audiences will enjoy anything that his imagination can create. Don’t miss this ragtime romp!

Featuring talented clinicians from major publishers, Stanton’s summer choral clinics are a fantastic way to jump-start your school year! We always look forward to visiting with our regular customers, matching up faces with names of new attendees, and meeting teachers new to Stanton’s from across the country.

Nobody tells a story like the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. And nobody plays and sings a story like the TSO. The story in “Night Castle“ is told to a seven-year-old girl on a beach at night. The teller comes from far away, and the story is set on at least two continents. A fantasy epic, it speaks to the heart of loss, self-sacrificing love, evil deeds and redemption.

The songs lend themselves to the piano, and this collection of 36 pieces is written for intermediate to advanced piano. If you love TSO, this 240 page book will keep you happily occupied for hours!

(from NEA.gov)Virgil Thomson (1896-1989) was one of America’s most stimulating, thoughtful, original, and long-lived composers and critics. He created one of the first really distinctive American operas (Four Saints in Three Acts), he composed distinguished film scores (The Louisiana Story won the Pulitzer Prize in 1949), he wrote witty and perceptive critiques of the American musical scene for many years, and he was still active into his 90s.

He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, into a morally strict family. He gravitated to music and was composing piano pieces with names like “The Chicago Fire” at age four. During study in France he came under the spell of Erik Satie and the Group of Six who overturned Romantic orthodoxy by mixing jazz and dance-hall tunes with serious compositional techniques. It was a perfect fit for Thomson, who found a unique style by blending this with his heritage of nostalgic middle-Americana.

His music is elegantly crafted, yet warm and human. It is richly evocative of an America half real, half imagined, but vividly recreated out of nostalgia and sincere affection. The range of Thomson’s choral music is wide. His 1934 Massfor two-part chorus and percussion is a dissonant, minimalist piece that seems avant-garde even today. Also in the 1930s he wrote incidental music for productions at John Houseman’s Phoenix Theater in New York. A planned staging of one Greek tragedy never came off, but Thomson saved his choral music as the concert piece Seven Choruses from the Medea of Euripides.

Check out these new Organ titles perfect for weddings as recommended by Stanton’s keyboard staff:

Three Festive Voluntaries For OrganThree original trumpet tunes make up this engaging set of pieces for solo organ. A Processional with solo trumpet against accompaniment alternates with plenum sections. A joyful Fanfare uses a solo trumpet stop, reed chorus, and a solo pedal reed which plays the sprightly tune. A Trumpet Voluntary full of harmonic surprises closes out the collection.

The Prince of Denmark’s MarchCareful attention to articulation, registration, and a real feel for the Baroque spirit makes this an edition to buy even if you’re comfortable with the version you now play. Fuller chords, a very rhythmic approach, and appropriate but festive passing tones keep this fresh new setting dancing along from start to finish.

Fantasy For A Festive OccasionA great postlude or recital piece, this features melodic pedal passages and a three part fugal section. At times spirited and at other times lyrical, this is a fulfilling new addition to your repertoire. It may take time to learn, but is fully worth the effort!

This weekend, we celebrate the birthday of Lawrence Welk (3/11/1903-5/17/1992), American bandleader and accordion player, whose effervescent brand of “champagne music” was featured for more than 30 years on his successful show.

Welk, who was raised in a German-speaking hamlet in North Dakota, did not learn English until he was 21, developing an accent that would later contribute to his homespun appeal. From the age of 13, he earned money playing the accordion, and he later formed two groups, the Biggest Little Band in America and the Hotsy-Totsy Boys, before leading bands and orchestras, mainly in the Midwest.

Welk then moved to Los Angeles, where The Lawrence Welk Show, a program of band music with vocalists, dancers, and featured instrumental soloists, helped make him one of the wealthiest performers in show business. Welk was a demanding taskmaster dedicated to producing a nostalgic, wholesome show. He maintained a roster of musical regulars, including the Champagne Lady (vocalist Alice Lon) and the Lennon Sisters. When the network dropped the program, he contracted with more than 250 independent television stations in the United States and Canada to broadcast Memories with Lawrence Welk until 1982. From 1987 the program appeared on public television. Welk accumulated a vast real-estate empire and acquired royalty rights to 20,000 songs, including the entire body of Jerome Kern’s work. Welk titled his two autobiographies after his trademark phrases, Wunnerful, Wunnerful! (1971) and Ah-One, Ah-Two! (1974). (from Britannica.com)

If you want to personally celebrate Lawrence Welk, check out “Lawrence Welk, The American Music Maker,” a fantastic piano/vocal/guitar collection of over 200 nostalgic songs performed on the show. Here in Columbus, PBS usually airs Lawrence Welk reruns on Saturday evenings–check your local listings to see if you can still view this “Wunnerful” music!

Are you looking for a fun musical to motivate your upper elementary and middle school performers? Try one on these new publications–they’re all “Stanton’s Approved!”

Harmony HighCan’t get enough of this “way out” school where everybody sings and everything’s cool! It’s the first day of school, and new students Michael, Michele and Junior are about to discover what the singing is all about. The principal is quite cheery and loves to vocalize!? Everyone’s a winner in Jim the Gym teacher’s gym, and those classical cooks of the cafeteria are always ready to dine. Even the students in detention are singing…the blues, and the whacky Science class is really rockin’! Upper elementary and middle school performers will rock to “Harmony High.” Clever original songs, zany antics and creative script writing combine for a truly spectacular moment on stage that will have everyone singing, including the audience!

Midsummer Night’s DreamGreetings, lords and ladies! I, William Shakespeare, will be your host this evening and I have a special treat for my thespian friends! You are about to be transported to a land of kings and queens, fairies and nymphs, music and madrigal, and most of all, trickery and love, for love can happen in the strangest ways, especially on a Midsummer Night! Intimidated by the idea of producing a Shakespeare musical play? Nonsense, with this new version, even I’m a piece of cake! You will create an educational and artistic experience your cast and audiences will never forget. I’ve made it very easy for you!” Experience Shakespeare like never before in this fresh, new rendition of the old classic. Designed for grades 6-9, this full-length 60-minute production features five acts with eight original songs in a variety of musical styles from madrigal to rap arranged for 3-Part Mixed, with suggestions for 2-Part Treble voices.

Thwacked!Once upon a time… Talking frogs? A falling sky? A town full of confused folk? What is really happening and who can answer these questions? The librarian? The coach? The Mayor and town council? The sweet and smart-thinking Rachel? With song, dance, and a fast moving script, Thwacked! unfolds to reveal these and many other delightful characters as they attempt to unravel the mystery in a fairytale world. Whether your cast is small or large, this 35-minute musical will involve all of your students and delight your audience with the amusing dialogue, charming songs and clever story.

The Story of My Life, by Neil Bartram, is a musical about two men and a longtime friendship that started in childhood. Richard Maltby Jr. , the director, says, “…this show produced a reaction I had never encountered before…people are moved by what happens to Alvin and Thomas, but the emotional response in the audience members seems larger than that, more personal.”

The show debuted in Toronto in 2006, and premiered on Broadway in 2009. Since then, it has been performed in several states and South Korea. If you have already heard the cast recording, you will be happy to find the matching sheet music book. If you are interested in finding out more about this book or other sheet music books of Broadway musicals, please contact us.

Over the past seventeen years, Ben Folds has been distinguishing himself as a different flavor of singer/songwriter. This book, The Best Imitation of Myself, which matches the recording of the same title, includes an overview of his works so far. There are songs from his 1990s indie rock recordings, from live performances of Ben Folds Five, some of his solo work and three new Ben Folds Five songs. This book of sheet music includes 22 songs arranged with guitar chords and piano accompaniments for the solo vocal lines. The piano solo interludes are included in these songs, which is refreshing, since it is a rarity to find piano solos included like this.

This new release from Hal Leonard contains over one hundred folk songs from around the world. If you teach general music, you will find that the “World Music Songbook” is a valuable resource. Some songs have the words in the original language, enhancing the world music experience. The melody is in the right hand for the pianist, so it’s easy to lead the song if you are playing for a music class. Whether you are a teacher, or simply love world music, this book of international sheet music will catch your attention!

We will read selected titles for SATB, men’s and women’s ensembles appropriate for high school spring concerts and graduation. Because we will be reading music directly from our large inventory and sharing the expertise of the Stanton’s school choral staff, we are able to offer this reading session at no cost to you!

You’ll need to download a free Scorch program that allows you to see the first page of each song you look up, and it allows you to print on your own printer. Many songs can also be transposed to whatever key you need! Just pay with a credit card, download and print.

This service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Happy browsing!